Net Carrying Device

ABSTRACT

A carrying device for carrying and storing fishing equipment comprises a front surface, a rear surface, a bottom edge, a top edge, a pair of angled opposing side edges and the pair of support straps. The front surface further comprises a main pocket and a plurality of sleeves. The top edge and the pair of angled opposing side edges have a plurality of buttons on the interior of the front surface and the rear surface to close the carrying device. A pair of support straps extends along the vertical length of the front surface and the rear surface has a plurality of support rings and a plurality of fastening straps. The support straps forms the handle of the carrying device.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

1. Technical Field of the Disclosure

The present embodiment relates in general to carrying devices forfishing.

More particularly, the present embodiment relates to a device forcarrying hoop nets, fish/crabs, harness, rope and float used inconjunction with the hoop net as well as for carrying fishing poles andother fishing equipments.

2. Description of the Related Art

Fishing nets have been known for many years, having different shapes andfunctions. Fishing nets are devices made from fibers woven in agrid-like structure. Fishing nets are usually meshes formed by knottinga relatively thin thread. A hoop net is used to catch a variety ofsaltwater and freshwater marine animals. A basic hoop net includes aseries of hoops that form a tapered cylinder, which is closed at oneend. While using hoop nets, they have a chance to get entangled on thenearby objects. Unfortunately, the net portion will be torn when theuser tugs on and tries to free the hoop net. Because of the aboveproblem some carrying means are required to safely store the hoop netsand to prevent the net portion being tangled and torn. While there arecarrying means that employ efficient means for storing the hoop nets,none have provided satisfactory ensuring safety storage of the nets.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,515 issued to Grill on Jan. 27, 2004discloses a fish net holding device and method therefore. The deviceholds a net portion of the fishing net to a pole section to prevent thenet portion of the fishing net from becoming tangled and caught onitems. The device employs fasteners for securing the net portion of thefishing net to the pole section and for releasing the net portion of thefishing net when pressure is applied to the net portion. While thedevice discloses a fish net holding device, such device requirespressure to be applied for securing and releasing the net portion fromthe device and hence it is difficult to use.

Another example includes U.S. Pat. No. 2,818,670 issued to Darkenwald onJan. 7, 1958 that teaches a net carrying case. The carrying casecomprises a net supporting frame and a handle, an upper and lower coverplate encasing the net supporting frame, the cover plate having sectionand hinges hingedly mounting the sections for swinging away from eachother and a latch connecting and retaining the sections in the netcasing positions. However, the device is difficult to be handled by theuser. Further, the device does not provide any means to store theharness, rope and other fishing equipments.

Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 7,322,146 issued to Baldwin on Jan. 29, 2008describes a fishing net retraction system. The fishing net retractionsystem is for efficiently retracting a receiving net during non-use toavoid entanglement while allowing expansion of the receiving net uponreceiving a fish. While the net retraction system receives the netduring non-use to avoid entanglement, some portion of the net has achance to get entangled and being torn off. Also the system does notfacilitate any means for storing other fishing equipments like fishingpole, rope, harness etc.

Accordingly, there is a need for a carrying device that would be usedfor storing harness, rope and float used in conjunction with the hoopnet as well as for carrying fishing poles and other fishing equipment.In particular, there is a continuing need for a tool that would avoidthe risk of the net getting entangled. Such a carrying device wouldinclude closing/non-closing pockets on the interior/exterior surfaceproviding additional storage spaces. Such a carrying device would beadaptable for holding different lengths of fishing poles. Such acarrying device would provide shoulder straps for a person to carry likea backpack. Finally, such a carrying device could be designed in a waythat the user can easily store crabs/fish that have been caught. Thepresent invention accomplishes these objectives.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention is a carrying device utilized for carrying andstoring hoop nets and other fishing accessories. The carrying devicecomprises a front surface, a rear surface, a bottom edge, a top edge anda pair of angled opposing side edges to form a sling like carryingdevice. The front surface further comprises a main pocket and aplurality of sleeves for storing fishing accessories. The bottom edgejoins the front surface and the rear surface to form a closed sling likestructure. The top edge and the bottom edge are connected by a pair ofangled opposing side edges having a plurality of buttons on the interiorof the front surface and the rear surface A pair of support strapsextends along the vertical length of the front surface and the rearsurface having a plurality of support rings freely sliding along thebottom of the support straps and a plurality of fastening straps upalong the support straps to form the handle of the carrying device. Thefront surface, the rear surface, the bottom edge, the top edge, the pairof angled opposing side edges and the pair of support straps form asling like carrying device for carrying hoop nets, fish/crabs, harness,rope, float, fishing poles and other fishing equipments.

The present invention is substantially round and closed at the bottomedge so as to form the sling like carrying case with the top edge andthe pair of angled opposing side edges opened to substantially enclosethe hoop net. The main pocket and the plurality of sleeves are presenton the exterior of the front surface and can be used for storage ofrope, float, fishing gear and other fishing accessories. The presentinvention can have additional closing or non closing pockets on theinterior or exterior surfaces for storage. The support straps are sewnon the front surface and rear surface along the vertical length of thecarrying case and goes underneath the carrying case forming a rackstructure. The support straps on the front surface and the rear surfaceextends from the bottom edge along the vertical length of the carryingcase forming a loop near the top edge and then ending at the bottomedge. The loop forms the handle on the front surface and the rearsurface of the carrying case. The support straps provide reinforcementto the carrying case to carry heavy loads. The support straps includes aplurality of support rings and a plurality of fastening straps thatforms a rack structure adaptable for holding different lengths offishing poles. The plurality of support rings can be opened and removedfor reattachment elsewhere along the length of the support straps andcan be made of any material strong enough to carry the weight of thefishing pole and the reel. The plurality of fastening straps can be anyfastening device that can loop around the fishing pole to secure it tothe support straps. The carrying case can have the rack structure on oneor either surfaces. The fishing pole can be stored in the rack structureby sliding the handle of the fishing pole through the support ring untilthe support ring catches the portion of the fishing pole that holds thefishing reel. The fastening straps positioned higher up the supportstraps secure the fishing pole to the rack structure that allowscarrying and storing the fishing pole safely.

In an alternate embodiment, the carrying case has the rack structure onone surface and the support straps on the other surface. These supportstraps can be used as shoulder straps for a person to carry the carryingcase like a backpack. The present invention can be used for carrying andstoring hoop nets, fish/crabs, fishing poles and other fishingaccessories without the net entangling the other equipment.

One objective of the invention is to provide a carrying device forstoring hoop nets so as to protect the net from entangling with otherequipment.

A second objective of the invention is to provide a carrying device forstoring harness, rope and float used in conjunction with the hoop net aswell as for carrying fishing poles and other fishing equipments.

A third objective of the invention is to provide a carrying device withthe plurality of buttons that allows to close the carrying device forstoring crabs/fish that have been caught.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a carryingdevice having closing/non-closing pockets on the interior/exterior ofthe front surface and the rear surface for additional storage.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a carryingdevice adaptable for holding different lengths of fishing poles.

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide acarrying device having shoulder straps for a person to carry like abackpack.

These and other advantages and features of the present invention aredescribed with specificity so as to make the present inventionunderstandable to one of ordinary skill in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to enhance their clarity and improve understanding of thesevarious elements and embodiments of the invention, elements in thefigures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, elementsthat are known to be common and well understood to those in the industryare not depicted in order to provide a clear view of the variousembodiments of the invention, thus the drawings are generalized in formin the interest of clarity and conciseness.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a net carrying device inaccordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the rear surface of the netcarrying device of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a side perspective view of the preferred embodimentof the net carrying device of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the alternate embodiment of thenet carrying device of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the alternate embodiment of thenet carrying device with a fishing pole.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following discussion that addresses a number of embodiments andapplications of the present invention, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown byway of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may bepracticed. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilizedand changes may be made without departing from the scope of the presentinvention.

Various inventive features are described below that can each be usedindependently of one another or in combination with other features.However, any single inventive feature may not address any of theproblems discussed above or only address one of the problems discussedabove. Further, one or more of the problems discussed above may not befully addressed by any of the features described below. Finally, many ofthe steps are presented below an order intended only as an exemplaryembodiment. Unless logically required, no step should be assumed to berequired earlier in the process than a later step simply because it iswritten first in this document.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a net carrying device 10 inaccordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Thecarrying device 10 comprises a front surface 12, a rear surface (notshown), a bottom edge 24 joining the front surface 12 and the rearsurface (not shown), a top edge 26 opposite to the bottom edge 24 joinedby a pair of angled opposing side edges 28 having a plurality of buttons(not shown) on the front surface 12 and the rear surface (not shown).The front surface 12 further comprises a main pocket 14, a plurality ofsleeves 16 and a pair of support straps 20 extending along the verticallength of the front surface 12. The support straps 20 extends from thebottom edge 24 along the vertical length of the carrying case 10 forminga loop near the top edge 26 and then ending at the bottom edge 24 toform a handle 18 to carry the carrying device 10 like a tool box. Theinvention is designed for holding and carrying hoop net, rope, harnessand float typically used with hoop net and some other fishing equipment.The present invention is substantially round and closed at the bottomedge 24 so as to form the sling like carrying case. The top edge 26 andthe pair of angled opposing side edges 28 are opened to substantiallyenclose the hoop net into it. The edges of the carrying device 10 can beremovably attached by a rigid/flexible material to create a more rigidbody. The hoop net can be placed into the carrying device 10 to preventthe entangling of the net and hence protect the net from being torn. Themain pocket 14 and the plurality of sleeves 16 are present on theexterior of the front surface 12 and can be used for storage of rope,float, fishing gear and other fishing accessories. The main pocket 14can also be used to carry other fishing gear such as a small tackle box.The carrying device 10 can have additional closing/non-closing pocketson the interior or exterior surfaces for storage. The plurality ofbuttons (not shown) on the top edge 26 and on the pair of the angledopposing side edges 28 allows the carrying case 10 to be in closedposition thereby allowing it to be used for carrying crabs/fish thathave been caught. The support straps 20 along the vertical length of thecarrying case 10 provide reinforcement to carry heavy loads.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the rear surface 22 of the netcarrying device 10. The rear surface 22 comprises a pair of supportstraps 20 along the vertical length of the rear surface 22. The supportstraps 20 extends from the bottom edge 24 along the vertical length ofthe carrying case 10 forming a loop near the top edge 26 and then endingat the bottom edge 24 to form a handle 18 for the carrying case. Thesupport straps 20 are sewn on the front surface 12 and the rear surface22 along the vertical length of the carrying case 10 and goes underneaththe carrying case 10 forming a rack structure. The support straps 20 canbe used as shoulder straps for a person to carry the carrying case 10like a backpack.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side perspective view of the preferred embodimentof the net carrying device 10. The net carrying device 10 has a handle18 that enables the user to carry the carrying device 10 from one placeto another or to hang against the wall. The support straps 20 can beused as shoulder straps for a person to carry the carrying case 10 likea backpack. The main pocket 14 is bigger than the sleeves 16 and can beused for storing rope and other fishing equipment used conjunction withthe hoop net.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the alternate embodiment of thepresent invention. The carrying device 10 having the main pocket 14 andthe plurality of sleeves 16 are used for storing ropes, harness, floatand other fishing equipment. The support straps 20 extends from thebottom edge 24 along the vertical length of the carrying case 10 forminga loop near the top edge 26 and then ending at the bottom edge 24 toform a handle 18. The handle 18 on the rear surface 22 and the frontsurface 12 can be attached by means of buttons and Velcro. The supportstraps 20 includes a plurality of support rings 30 freely sliding alongthe bottom of the support straps 20 and a plurality of fastening straps32 up along the support straps 20 to form a rack structure for holdingfishing poles. The support rings 30 may be a complete loop or hingedsimilar to rings used in 3-ring notebook binders that allows removal andreattachment elsewhere along the length of the support straps 20. Thesupport rings 30 may be made of any material preferably strong enough tocarry the weight of the fishing pole and the reel. The plurality offastening straps 32 can be any fastening device that can loop around thefishing pole to secure it to the support straps 20. The hoop net 34 canbe substantially placed into the net carrying device 10. The main pocket14 and the plurality of sleeves 16 can be on the exterior/interior ofthe carrying case 10. The present invention can have additionalclosing/non-closing pockets on the interior/exterior surfaces forstorage.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the alternate embodiment of thenet carrying device 10 with a fishing pole 36. The fishing pole 36 canbe mounted on the carrying device 10 by sliding the handle 38 of thefishing pole 36 through the support ring 30 until the support ring 30catches the portion of the fishing pole 36 that holds the fishing reel.The fastening strap 32 positioned higher up the support straps 20 securethe fishing pole to the support straps 20. The carrying device 10 canhave the support straps 20 sewn on the front surface 12 and the rearsurface 22 along the vertical length of the carrying case 10 and goesunderneath the carrying case 10 to form a rack structure. Additionalsupport ring 30 can be inserted along the vertical length of the supportstraps 20 which allows the rack structure to be adaptable to differentlength of fishing poles. The fastening strap 32 can be any fasteningdevice which can loop around a fishing pole to secure it.

I claim:
 1. A carrying device comprising: a front surface having a mainpocket and a plurality of sleeves for storing fishing accessories; arear surface; a bottom edge joining the front surface and the rearsurface to form a closed structure; a top edge opposite to the bottomedge connected by a pair of angled opposing side edges having aplurality of buttons on the interior of the front surface and the rearsurface; and a pair of support straps extends along the vertical lengthof the front surface and the rear surface having a plurality of supportrings freely sliding along the bottom of the support straps and aplurality of fastening straps up along the support straps to form thehandle of the carrying device; whereby the front surface, the rearsurface, the bottom edge, the top edge, the pair of angled opposing sideedges and the pair of support straps form a sling like carrying devicefor carrying hoop nets, fish/crabs, harness, rope, float, fishing polesand other fishing equipments.
 2. The carrying device of claim 1 whereinthe bottom edge is substantially round and closed so as to form a slinglike carrying device to carry the hoop nets and fish/crabs.
 3. Thecarrying device of claim 1 wherein the top edge and the pair of angledopposing side edges are opened to substantially enclose the hoop net. 4.The carrying device of claim 1 wherein the main pocket and the pluralityof sleeves present on the exterior of the front surface can be used forstorage of rope, float, fishing gear and other fishing accessories. 5.The carrying device of claim 1 wherein additional closing/non-closingpockets can be sewn on the interior/exterior of the front surface andthe rear surface for storage.
 6. The carrying device of claim 1 whereinthe plurality of buttons on the top edge and the pair of the angledopposing side edges allows the carrying device to be in closed positionthereby allowing the carrying device to be used for carrying crabs/fishthat have been caught.
 7. The carrying device of claim 1 wherein thesupport straps extends along the top edge to form a loop that acts asthe handle of the carrying device.
 8. The carrying device of claim 1wherein the support straps provide reinforcement to the carrying deviceto carry heavy loads.
 9. The carrying device of claim 1 wherein theplurality of support rings and the plurality of fastening straps on thesupport straps forms a rack structure adaptable for holding differentlengths of fishing poles.
 10. The carrying device of claim 9 wherein therack structure can be on one or either surfaces of the carrying device.11. The carrying device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of supportrings can be opened and removed for reattachment elsewhere along thelength of the support straps and can be made of any material strongenough to carry the weight of the fishing pole and the reel.
 12. Thecarrying device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of fastening straps canbe any fastening device that can loop around the fishing pole to secureit to the support straps.
 13. The carrying device of claim 1 wherein thesupport straps can be used as shoulder straps for a person to carry thecarrying device like a backpack.
 14. A carrying device for storingfishing accessories comprising: a front surface having a main pocket anda plurality of sleeves for storing fishing accessories; a rear surface;a bottom edge formed by joining the front surface and the rear surfaceto enclose and carry hoop nets; a top edge opposite to the bottom edgeconnected by a pair of angled opposing side edges having a plurality ofbuttons on the interior of the front surface and the rear surface toclose the carrying device; and a pair of support straps extends alongthe vertical length of the front surface and the rear surface having aplurality of support rings freely sliding along the bottom of thesupport straps and a plurality of fastening straps up along the supportstraps to form the handle of the carrying device; whereby the frontsurface, the rear surface, the bottom edge, the top edge, the pair ofangled opposing side edges and the pair of support straps form a slinglike carrying device for carrying and storing hoop nets, fish/crabs,harness, rope, float, fishing poles and other fishing equipments. 15.The carrying device of claim 14 wherein the bottom edge is substantiallyround and closed to form the sling like carrying device to carry thehoop nets without the net entangling other fishing equipment.
 16. Thecarrying device of claim 14 wherein the top edge and the pair of angledopposing side edges on the front surface and the rear surface are openedto substantially enclose the hoop net.
 17. The carrying device of claim14 wherein the main pocket and the plurality of sleeves present on theexterior of the front surface can be used for storage of rope, float,fishing gear and other fishing accessories.
 18. The carrying device ofclaim 14 wherein additional closing/non-closing pockets can be sewn onthe interior/exterior surfaces of the carrying device for storage. 19.The carrying device of claim 14 wherein the plurality of buttons on thetop edge and on the pair of the angled opposing side edges allows thecarrying device to be used for carrying and storing crabs/fish that havebeen caught.
 20. The carrying device of claim 14 wherein the supportstraps extends along the top edge to form a loop that acts as the handleof the carrying device.
 21. The carrying device of claim 14 wherein thesupport straps go underneath the bottom edge to provide reinforcement tothe carrying device to carry heavy loads.
 22. The carrying device ofclaim 14 wherein the plurality of support rings and the plurality offastening straps on the support straps forms a rack structure adaptablefor holding different lengths of fishing poles.
 23. The carrying deviceof claim 22 wherein the rack structure can be on one or either surfacesof the carrying device.
 24. The carrying device of claim 14 wherein theplurality of support rings can be opened and mounted elsewhere along thelength of the support straps and can be made of any material strongenough to carry the weight of the fishing pole and the reel.
 25. Thecarrying device of claim 14 wherein the plurality of fastening strapscan be any fastening device that can hold the fishing pole to thesupport straps.
 26. The carrying device of claim 14 wherein the supportstraps can be used as shoulder straps for carrying device like abackpack.